The present invention relates to a recording disk cartridge for containing therein a recording disk, for example, an optical recording disk.
A prior art recording disk cartridge as disclosed by JP-A-11-213596 comprises a disk holder for holding thereon a recording disk, and a cartridge case for receiving therein the disk holder with the recording disk so that the recording disk is inserted into the cartridge case while the recording disk is held on the disk holder.
An object of the present invention is to provide a recording disk cartridge for containing therein a recording disk, into which recording disk cartridge, the recording disk is inserted while an attitudinal relationship between the recording disk and the recording disk cartridge is surely kept errorlessly or correctly, and is prevented from being inserted when the attitudinal relationship between the recording disk and the recording disk cartridge is in error or reversed from the correct attitudinal relationship therebetween.
A recording disk cartridge for containing therein a recording disk, comprising,
a disk holder adapted to hold therein the recording disk, and
a cartridge case for containing therein the disk holder, having a cavity into which the disk holder is capable of being inserted in an inserting direction,
wherein the cartridge case includes a case engagement portion, the disk holder includes a holder engagement portion, the case engagement portion and the holder engagement portion engage each other to determine a positional relationship between the cartridge case and the disk holder as seen in the inserting direction when the disk holder is inserted into the cavity, the case engagement portion includes a case interference portion, the disk holder includes a holder interference portion, the case interference portion and the holder interference portion are arranged to be prevented from being aligned with each other in the inserting direction and interfering with each other when both positional relationship and attitudinal (angular) relationship between the disk holder and the cartridge case as seen in the inserting direction are maintained at their respective desirable situations for enabling the disk holder to be inserted into the cavity in the inserting direction, and the case interference portion and the holder interference portion are arranged to be aligned with each other to interfere with each other so that the disk holder is prevented from being inserted into the cavity in the inserting direction when the attitudinal (angular) relationship between the disk holder and the cartridge case is substantially reversed from the desirable situation thereof as seen in the inserting direction and the positional relationship between the disk holder and the cartridge case is maintained at the desirable situation thereof as seen in the inserting direction. That is, the interference between the case interference portion and the holder interference portion performs a prevention of undesirable reversed insertion of the disk holder into the cartridge case while desirable insertion of correct attitude of the disk holder into the cartridge case is kept possible.
Since the case interference portion and the holder interference portion are arranged on the cartridge case and the disk holder to be prevented from being aligned with each other in the inserting direction and from interfering with each other when both positional relationship and attitudinal (angular) relationship between the disk holder and the cartridge case as seen in the inserting direction are maintained at their respective desirable situations for enabling the disk holder to be inserted into the cavity in the inserting direction, and the case interference portion and the holder interference portion are arranged on the cartridge case and the disk holder to be aligned with each other to interfere with each other so that the disk holder is prevented from being inserted into the cavity in the inserting direction when the attitudinal relationship between the disk holder and the cartridge case is substantially reversed from the desirable situation thereof as seen in the inserting direction and the positional relationship between the disk holder and the cartridge case is maintained at the desirable situation thereof as seen in the inserting direction, the disk holder is prevented from being inserted into the cartridge case when the attitudinal relationship between the disk holder and the cartridge case is substantially reversed from the desirable situation thereof as seen in the inserting direction for enabling the disk holder to be inserted into the cavity in the inserting direction.
If the case engagement portion includes side walls extending in a thickness direction of the recording disk as seen in the inserting direction, and bridge walls bridging the side walls in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction as seen in the inserting direction to form the cavity, and the case interference portion is formed on at least one of the side walls, a rigidity of the case interference portion is maintained high because a rigidity of the side walls is significantly higher than that of the bridge walls. A length of the bridge walls in the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction as seen in the inserting direction is significantly larger than that of the side walls in the thickness direction of the recording disk as seen in the inserting direction.
The holder engagement portion includes side surfaces at which the holder engagement portion terminates in a direction perpendicular to a thickness direction of the recording disk as seen in the inserting direction. The side surfaces extend parallel to the inserting direction. Furthermore, the holder interference portion is formed on at least one of the side surfaces. In addition, the rigidity of the case interference portion can be maintained high because the rigidity of the side walls is significantly higher than that of the bridge walls.
It is preferable for increasing further the rigidity of the case interference portion that a thickness of each of the side walls in a direction perpendicular to the recording disk thickness direction is larger than that of each of the bridge walls in the direction as seen in the inserting direction. The case interference portion may be a protrusion protruding into the cavity as seen in the inserting direction. The holder interference portion is a protrusion protruding on the disk holder in a direction perpendicular to a thickness direction of the recording disk as seen in the inserting direction. The protrusion may be stair-shaped.
When the cartridge case includes first and second sides juxtaposed with each other along an imaginary plane (preferably passing a substantially center position of the cartridge case in the recording disk thickness direction) perpendicular to a thickness direction of the recording disk as seen in the inserting direction, the case interference portion may be formed on one of the first and second sides. When the disk holder includes first and second sides juxtaposed with each other along an imaginary plane (preferably passing a substantially center position of the disk holder in the recording disk thickness direction) perpendicular to a thickness direction of the recording disk as seen in the inserting direction, the holder interference portion may be formed on one of the first and second sides.
It is preferable for maintaining in a long term correctly a force for supporting the recording disk on the disk holder that the disk holder includes at least three contact points for contacting a radially outer periphery of the recording disk to hold the recording disk, at least one of the contact points urges radially inward the radially outer periphery, and the disk holder further includes a metallic spring for generating a radially inward urging force applied to the radially outer periphery through at least one of the contact points. The metallic spring may be plate-shaped. The urging force generated by the metallic spring is prevented from being applied to the radially outer periphery to release the recording disk so that the recording disk can rotate freely when the disk holder is set at a predetermined position in the cavity or sufficiently deeply inserted into the cavity.
The disk holder is preferably made of a composite material including a synthetic resin and fiber. The disk holder may comprise a pair of elastic cantilever-shaped arms for holding the recording disk therebetween. The fiber may include at least one selected from a group of glass-fiber, carbon-fiber, boron-fiber and organic fiber. The synthetic resin may include at least one selected from a group of polyamideimide resin, polyamide resin, polyphenylenesulfide resin, polyallylsulfon resin, polysulfon resin, polyethersulfon resin, and polyimide resin.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing engagement portions of a recording disk cartridge as a first embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a front plane view of the first embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a front plane view showing a first part of a cartridge case of the first embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a side view showing the first part of the cartridge case of the first embodiment;
FIG. 5 is a bottom plane view showing the first part of the cartridge case of the first embodiment;
FIG. 6 is another side view showing the first part of the cartridge case of the first embodiment;
FIG. 7 is the other side view showing the first part of the cartridge case of the first embodiment;
FIG. 8 is a front plane view of a disk holder of the first embodiment;
FIG. 9 is a side view of the disk holder of the first embodiment;
FIG. 10 is a front view of the disk holder of the first embodiment;
FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the disk holder of the first embodiment;
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line 12xe2x80x9412 in FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is a plane view showing a disk held on the disk holder of the first embodiment;
FIG. 14 is a combination of cross-sectional views showing in detail dimensions of engagement portions of the cartridge case and the disk holder of the first embodiment;
FIG. 15 is a cross sectional view showing an engagement portion of a cartridge case as a second embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 16 is a cross sectional view showing an engagement portion of a cartridge case as a third embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 17 is a cross sectional view showing an engagement portion of a cartridge case as a fourth embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 18 is a bottom view showing a first part of a cartridge case as a fifth embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 19 is a front plane view showing a disk holder;
FIG. 20 is a bottom plane view showing the disk holder of FIG. 19;
FIG. 21 is a plane view showing a recording disk on the disk holder of FIGS. 19 and 20;
FIG. 22 is a partially cross sectional view showing a mechanism for releasing a recording disk urging force;
FIG. 23 is a bottom view showing a first part of a cartridge case as a sixth embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 24 is an enlarged view showing a stopper of a disk holder as a seventh embodiment of the invention; and
FIG. 25 is a cross sectional view taken along a line 25xe2x80x9425 in FIG. 24.